[nova]

Originally Posted by diemai

I would not change from braid to mono , only braid lets you feel , what is going on with your lure , bumping bottom , shy nibbles , etc.......!

Also you can't work certain type of lures well without the almost zero stretch of braid .

But I see your argument about the fish getting spooked of a line , that is too visible in the water .

In German angling magazines I read about combining the advantages of the two kinds of line by connecting 5 to 15 yards mono to the end of the braided main line with a special knot, not so much for visibility reasons , but to get a sort of "shock-absorber" for some kinds of non-predatory fish , that are likely to tear the hook out of their lips , when played too hard .

Maybe , this could be an issue for you as well .

Greetings , diemai

I've always added mono to the end of my superline. It didn't make sense to me that the fish could see the line. I don't know about 5 to 15 yards though; I add about 10 feet. The more line you add; the more stretch you have. I still have great feeling with 10 feet, plus the lower visibility and the shock factor.

www.novalures.com

[Bterrill]

Originally Posted by IamSpartacus

Yeah I had my braid (14lb Fireline Crystal) snap on three hooksets in a row... I was fishing a zoom salamander weedless and three times in a row id set the hook and it would snap instantly. I should have learned after the second time, but apparently I'm not the brightest of the bunch. I looked at my line and it appeared fine each time... Not really sure what was happening. I cut off like 15ft of my line and tried it then, it worked and haven't had any problems since. Anybody have any idea what might have caused this?

You need to use a palomar knot. Many traditional knots slip with braid, OR your hook eye was partially open and the thinner diameter line slipped through, OR something on your rod or reel was cutting it like the line clip on a spinning reel catching on the cast.

Been through all of these. There is a learning curve. But once you learn it, you'll love it. I don't fish with anything else. PP 15/4 for SMB and rivers.

No leader needed. At least for river bass.Trust me.

[thedude]

for braid i use power pro - 30lb on my crankbait rods and 50-60lb on my flipping & frog setups.
Don't let people con you in to the whole "braid is best" montra... it certainly excels in heavy cover and weeds. In some scenarios it is great for light line/sensitivity... If i'm not using a "moving bait" presentation, i typically use 6' of florocarbon for a leader. I'm used to clear water lakes and have noticed significant drops in catch rates when using braid w/ no leader on my t-rigs and jigs.

Another thing to consider is the rod you are using. Braid has zero stretch... and with today's ultra-fast action rods, it is very easy to pull the hooks. in my opinion, braid has no business on a rod with an action over moderate - in which case, Gamma and PLine make virtually indestructible co-polymer lines which i highly favor! 12lb gamma is pretty stout, pline is very strong as well with a little more stretch - both excel in low-memory and castability.

[livelybaits]

I'm just curious: How many of you are talking about baitcaster reels with the braided line?

I ask because most of what I do in my saltwater fishing is spinning reels. And my buddy who likes his baitcaster for tossing lures in saltwater (kind of a rarity in this part of Florida) has had the line breaking on the cast, inside the spool

It's funny actually. On my baitcasters, I prefer mono or fluorocarbon/fluorocoated lines.

One other thing that occurred to me: Are you fishing around a lot of rocks? If your line is walking on the rocks, it will get some weak spots

[King Bait Co.]

I use baitcasters. Your buddy's line may be braking because as I was told When you set the hook hard enough that it can dig deeper down in the line or further underneith the line below it. If that makes any since. Or he could have kinked it some were in the water and made a weak point.

[IamSpartacus]

Originally Posted by Bterrill

You need to use a palomar knot. Many traditional knots slip with braid, OR your hook eye was partially open and the thinner diameter line slipped through, OR something on your rod or reel was cutting it like the line clip on a spinning reel catching on the cast.

Been through all of these. There is a learning curve. But once you learn it, you'll love it. I don't fish with anything else. PP 15/4 for SMB and rivers.

No leader needed. At least for river bass.Trust me.

Good advice, been trying the double palomar knot for a cumulative of 20 hours fishing without fail. Sure is nice catching the fish I set my hook into.

Thanks,
Mike

[Bterrill]

I do use a spinning rod and braid. I fish mostly medium sized or smaller rivers and creeks. Braid is superior for topwater where the no stretch and long casts mean more fish.

Also, the line doesn't ever break. I keep drag loose and almost never lose a Smallmouth once they are hooked. No knot failures, no fish getting tangled in wood and lost.

Just last Saturday I threw a tube into a log jam surrounded by 5' of moving water on 3 sides. An almost instant thump and almost instantly the good 18" Smallie was hung on some wood. I was able to keep the pressure on the fish in current, backreel to shore de-vest, throw my waders up chest high and wade across and up onto the log jam while keeping that bass in place. I landed the fish. No way I land that fish on 8lbs test mono or fluro. Let alone all the pigs I've yanked out of wood with Sammies in their mouths.

Now the creek fish in crystal clear water that I have caught on paused hard jerk baits, tubes, and flukes didn't have the problem with seeing braid. Caught close to 2000 Smallies last year all on braid.

If Smallmouth and Largemouth in moving water are line shy, I've made up for it by losing less fish and hooking more.



If you are fishing on a clear lake- that's beyond my experience. Fish with that much time may be line shy.

Spartacus- yeah, I have been tying the double. Don't think your line was breaking as much as the standard mono knots slip free when snapped.

Check those hook eyes. any opening is heartbreak time!

[IamSpartacus]

Yeah I agree with the braid in rivers though. I don't know how many times I would of lost my favorite buzzbait yesterday if I wasn't using the 14lb braid. The stuff is tough. Plus it does make the hook setting from distance much more successful.

[RipLip]

I use Spider Wire stealth for all applications from jigs, worms to real finesse type of fishing. The Stealth works great because I fish some real thick lily beds and it can pull them out fine. As for feeling the fish my opinion is the line is a factor but not a huge factor. I have tried many differents lines and rods and I believe the type of rod is what depicts the feel. Like right now the bite up here in NH is real lite. You have to get the line just about tight and your rod lets you know if something is going on. If you get the line too tight and the bass that is swimming aimlessly with your bait trying to figure what to do with it he could drop it in a heartbeat. So right now my feeling is the rod is the important factor on feeling a lite bite. I use 20lb stealth for baitcasters and spinning. Hope this helps somebody.

[fish devil]

I have braid on 2 rods, 1 with 50lb suffix for weeds and other thick stuff and the other one is for saltwater bottom fishing. I just changed from power pro to suffix. Power pro kept breaking on me, when I cast, or when I set the hook. Suffix is much better in my opinion, no break offs, easier to cast, and makes less noise.